Search results for ""Author Tom Cleaver""

Even if the North American Aviation B-25 Mitchell had only participated in the Doolittle Raid, it would have cemented its place in history - but it did so much more. Whether flying dangerous low-level strafing missions across the South Pacific from New Guinea to the shores of the Japanese Home Islands or battling nature and deadly German flak over the Brenner Pass in northern Italy, the Mitchell established a reputation for being the best medium bomber used by the Allies during the war. The Mitchell was easy to fly for an inexperienced wartime-trained pilot, and a well-trained pilot could get it off a carrier deck, fully loaded. The aircraft was resilient and could suffer damage from enemy fire, be it from Zeros over Rabaul or 88mm flak sited in the mountains along the Brenner Pass, and bring the crews home - even in bombers so badly damaged that they never flew again. With over 115 images, this book tells the story of the creation of an aviation classic and the brave crews who made its reputation.

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This book tells the full story of the US Naval air campaign during the Vietnam War between 1965 to 1975, where the US Seventh Fleet, stationed off the Vietnamese coast, was given the tongue-in-cheek nickname 'The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club'. On August 2, 1964, USS Maddox became embroiled in the infamous 'Gulf of Tonkin incident’ that lead directly to America's increased involvement in the Vietnam War. Supporting the Maddox that day were four F-8E Crusaders from the USS Ticonderoga, signalling the start of the US Navy’s commitment to the air war over Vietnam. The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club was the nickname for the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet, Task Force 77, stationed off the coast of Vietnam which, at various points throughout the war, comprised as many as six carriers with 70–100 aircraft on board. The Seventh Fleet played an essential role in supporting operations over Vietnam, providing vital air support to combat troops on the ground and taking part in major operations such as Rolling Thunder and Linebacker I and II. Serving with the US Seventh Fleet during this period and involved in the dramatic history of The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club was author Tom Cleaver, who was a 20-year-old member of Commander Patrol Forces Seventh Fleet which had operational control over Maddox and Turner Joy. His use of dramatic first-hand experiences from interviews with both American and Vietnamese pilots plus official Vietnamese accounts of the war provides a balanced and personal picture of the conflict from both sides. Detailing the very earliest incident in the Gulf of Tonkin through to the final evacuation of US nationals in 1975, he brings the story of US air intervention into Vietnam vividly to life.

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